A British businessman was shot dead in front of his teenage daughter in Mexico.
Chris Cleve was driving through the city of Cancun when two men ambushed him at a popular tourist resort.
The killers opened fire through the driver’s side window, hitting the 54-year-old man in the head and killing him instantly.
His 14-year-old daughter was unhurt but was hospitalized with shock and minor injuries.
The two killers were later apprehended by the police as they fled on a motorcycle.
Mr Cleave, originally from Truro, Cornwall, has lived in Mexico for over ten years.
The killers opened fire through the driver’s side window, hitting the 54-year-old man (pictured) in the head and killing him instantly.
According to police, he became a permanent resident in 2013 and has worked as a real estate agent and property manager.
The state of Quintana Roo, which includes the resort of Cancun, has become the center of growing violence among drug cartels fighting for control.
There is no suggestion that Cleve was involved in the drugs, but the police are investigating why he was the victim of an execution-style murder.
A police source said: “This was not a random shooting, but a targeted attack. He was chosen to be killed.
Local reports say that earlier this month, a man believed to be Mr Cleve was threatened along with two other men in a so-called junkie, a message left by a local drug cartel on a fabric banner in Playa del Carmen’s upmarket beach area called Playacar.
The message, written in Spanish and deleted by police shortly after it appeared on March 5, said: “This is for you. [two names redacted] by Playacar, with Range Rover and Porsche cars and secret partners [local restaurant name].
“We’re coming after you and selling your shit. And for you, Chris, with the red Audi.
According to unconfirmed local reports at the time, the mysterious people behind the scary message wanted to sell their drugs there.
The local prosecutor’s office confirmed that two arrests had been made in connection with the murder. At this stage, there is no suggestion of any illegal activity at the restaurant referred to in the report.
A spokesman for the Quintana Roo State Attorney’s Office said: “We can confirm the arrest of two men who were likely involved in an incident that took place on Saturday morning that resulted in the death of a foreigner living in the area.”
“The weapon used has been seized.”
It is believed that he was followed as he left the house before being killed while he was stopped in traffic.
Clive’s shocked friends, pictured, who ran a property management company, expressed their grief over his murder on his Facebook page.
Police said Cleve and his daughter were on the main federal highway in Playa del Carmen in a red Audi when two men on a motorcycle pulled up to the car while they were stuck in traffic.
Witnesses said the men opened fire through an open window, killing Cleve instantly.
His daughter was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries. Local police said none of her injuries were life-threatening.
The shooting happened at 9:30 am on Saturday, and police believe the killers followed Cleve as he left the house.
When his car stopped in a traffic jam, they pounced and opened fire.
The killers sped away, but the police pursued them along the main federal highway and arrested them.
Police said Cleve and his daughter were on the main federal highway in Playa del Carmen in a red Audi (pictured) when two men approached the car.
On his Facebook page, Cleve revealed that he graduated from Penair High School in 1986.
Shocked friends of Clive, who ran a real estate company, expressed their grief over his murder on his Facebook page.
Sue Steggles wrote: “Very sad to have lost you Chris Cleve, you were one of the good guys and you were taken too young.
“I will remember our Saturday nights fondly, you have been such a big part of our lives for so long.”
Posting the fishing photos they shared, John Archer wrote: “Rest in peace, this is the saddest news I have ever heard in my life.
There is no suggestion that Cleve (pictured) was involved in drugs, but police are investigating why he was the victim of an execution.
“You will always be remembered as an amazing person who had many friends who admired and loved you.”
Four days before the murder, Cleve posted photos on his Facebook page dedicated to his daughter’s 14th birthday.
Cancun has long been a favorite American “holiday” destination, but it is also becoming increasingly popular with British tourists.
But over the past year, violence among drug cartels has spiraled out of control.
In November 2021, two gangsters were killed in a shootout between rival gangs on a tourist beach in Cancun.
Two weeks earlier, an American and a German tourist had been caught in the crossfire of a gang war in Tulum and shot to death.
Between January and September 2021, the homicide rate increased by 80 percent compared to the same period the previous year, according to Mexico’s public security service.
In response to the violence, the Mexican government announced that the National Guard would send 1,500 soldiers to protect the tourist areas of Quintana Roo as part of a newly formed tourist security battalion.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the recent violence in the region could not be repeated, while saying that the presence of the new battalion would be permanent and its role would be focused on intelligence work.
On his Facebook page, Cleve said he graduated from Penair High School in 1986.
Last month, two men were shot dead and a third wounded at a popular tourist restaurant in the area.
A group of militants opened fire in an attack on the Art Beach restaurant at the entrance to the hotel area in the resort of Tulum on the Riviera Maya, 50 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore and Sting live. on holiday.
Survivors dining at a high-end diner that pairs food with live music reported hearing at least 20 gunshots.
The incident comes less than a month after two Canadians were shot dead and a third was wounded at a hotel in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun on the same coast.
The victims of the January 21 shooting at the luxury Xcaret hotel in Playa del Carmen were part of a group of 10 tourists who traveled to Quintana Roo in the Yucatán Peninsula for a five-star hotel holiday.
Local prosecutors later identified the two 34-year-old men who were killed as convicted felons in Canada and said they believed debts incurred from the criminal activities they were involved in were likely behind the attack.
Their names were Robert James Dean and Thomas Cheruca.
Two people, including a Mexican hitman originally hired to kill the victims, were arrested.